Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Have you ever gone through a phase where it feels like the universe is against you? Everything you try seem to fail. All your stuff ends up broken. Your plans are thwarted by stupid things like rain or a flat tire, or even a change in menu at one of your favorite restaurants. Just when you thought you had it all under control, the universe reminds you in no uncertain terms that control is an illusion and you’re a puny and insignificant human. It just feels like everything is awful and you should probably stay in bed for a week.

Normally when everything goes wrong, I’d hide away from the world for as long as possible, but I’m trying something new this time. I’m gonna give this whole not caring thing a bash and see how it goes. It’s very un-me, but I just want to see if it works. If I’m puny and insignificant, then what difference does it make if food gets slightly burned or photos don’t come out looking all that great? The only consequence is my own disappointment, and literally no one else cares about that. It’s so insignificant, I probably shouldn’t even be talking about it right now. Some things in life will be great. Some things will suck. So what?

I guess that’s a really long way of telling you that for a variety of insignificant reasons that no one cares about, these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pancakes don’t look as good as they taste. I would hate for my freewheeling attitude in the kitchen and emergency iPhone photos to prevent you from trying this recipe because I can assure you, it’s awesome.

I’m going to give you the recipe for these sweet and chewy pancakes the way I made them the very first time, which wasn’t as they are in the photo. The recipe is designed for a single serving of pancakes, and when I made them that way, they came out crisp and crunchy on the edges, and gorgeously fluffy with a bit of chewy texture from the oatmeal in the middle. I made on giant pancake instead of two or three small ones, and with a light drizzle of maple syrup, it was absolutely heavenly.

Even when things don’t work out exactly the way we want, life is still usually pretty delicious. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pancakes are no exception. Just go with the flow. It’s gonna be awesome.

In another bowl or a large measuring cup, add vegetable oil, vanilla, and buttermilk. Whisk to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and quickly and gently fold and stir together until just combined. A few lumps aren't the end of the world, but over-stirring will give you tough pancakes.

Heat a large skillet or griddle with a little bit of butter or oil spread evenly across the pan. Add the pancake batter to the hot pan.I prefer to do one big pancake, but you can split it up into smaller pancakes if you like.

While the first side is cooking, sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly onto your pancake or pancakes. After two or three minutes when the edges start to firm up and the bubbles have burst, flip your pancake and cook for another minute or two.

Serve hot with butter and syrup or whatever you like on your pancakes.